Popscreen: Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

“Say Somethin’”

Dir. Paul Hunter

Mariah Carey’s latest album entitled “The Emancipation of Mimi” has been criticized for not being as vocally aggressive as her previous work. While one would hope that her virtuosity was traded in for at least something redeeming, there’s no sign of it on this track: “Say Somethin” and its accompanying music video don’t tell us anything we haven’t heard before.

The beat is lackluster and monotonous, Carey’s vocals sound contrived, and even Snoop Dogg’s brief appearance, apathetically commanding the listener to “get buck wild,” is disappointing. Although it can partly be attributed to the groove (or lack thereof), Snoop is unconvincing at best.

A song that is strictly about sex generally doesn’t lend itself to the most creative video schemes, so credit is certainly due to director Paul Hunter for not exclusively filming the video in the bedroom. Still, choosing Paris as the setting is puzzling; the song is not classy, romantic, or French in any sense. The words “buck wild” just don’t mix well with the Eiffel Tower.

Although Pharrell Williams produced the song, he doesn’t belong in the video. Williams, whose influence on the track itself is undetectable to most listeners, plays Mariah’s love interest, while Snoop, who actually raps in the song, sits at his card table and doesn’t interact at all with the other two stars.

The fashion in the video is perhaps its greatest strength: Mariah looks undeniably hot in the video. Her outfits feature a Vegas-style gold leotard, a strange burgundy bathing suit getup (complete with Louis Vuitton luggage), short shorts and a tied shirt, and a trench coat.

The video functions more as a frame for Mariah than anything else. The setting, music, and guests are all quite dissonant. Sorry Mariah, but “Say Somethin” is not “worth your while.”

—Jessica M. Righthand